The Snowy Day...

This winter has been very uneventful, with almost no snow, which is very rare in Southwest VA. We *finally* had our first huge snowfall of the year, with nearly 10 inches of snow. (I say finally because I am one of the few, besides school aged kids and teachers, who look forward to these snowfalls)  The snow blanketed everything it touched, which made for beautiful pictures, and a happy toddler.  Audrey was so excited to wake up from her nap and see the snow falling and she immediately requested that we go "ouside to pay".

 I attempted a few snow night shots because the wind began to pick up and I was afraid the snow would blow off the trees.  The snowy landscape was beautiful and still. 

Oliver followed in my footsteps, hoping from one spot to the other.   

Sumo wrestler pose.  I may have overdressed her just a bit?

An old sunflower stalk provided a place for the snow to pile.

The morning after the storm brought a cloudless, blue sky.

One of the beauties of living in the mountains is the sunrises.  I love watching the sun warm up the mountains before it gradually makes it way to our house. 

I knew this pose looked familiar..

It was really bright the next day and yellow, flower shaped shades were required.

This may be my favorite picture of all time!  

Once the roads cleared, we had a few visitors! Go, Gibby, GO!

Taking a break.

Sledding with Pop.

Audrey's loved to eat the snow. Notice the piece on her lip?

We were glad that Maw and Paw made it here safely, and enjoyed our snowy weekend with them! (Audrey is in a copy-everything-you-do stage, and pulled her chair up to Paw with a magazine in hand.)

This picture is for you, Ben.  Our newest addition.  

The snow is mostly gone now, but Friday may bring a new batch.  We are ready!! 

21 Months...

Height: 31 1/2

Weight: 22 lbs

Favorite book: How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?

Favorite food: "Gibby bar"

Favorite toy: Princess Castle 

Favorite phrase: "Mommy hold you."

We are *trying* to learn our colors this month. 

 Painting the color yellow.

 Using our paint brush!

But fingers are much more fun!


Helpin' Bubba get a drink of water. 

Wedded bliss

John and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary this weekend.  We both agreed it was a pretty important milestone and wanted to celebrate with a mini-vacation.  Our trusty babysitters, Pop and Gibby, kept our little sweet pea overnight, and we drove to Meadows of Dan.  Our first stop was downtown Floyd, where we visited a few shops, ate at Floyd Country Store, and visited a local woodworker.  I left with a FREE American Chestnut stump, which I consider one of my favorite souvenirs from the whole trip.  Yeah, it doesn't take much.  

Our next plan was to hop on the Blue Ridge Parkway and drive to our cabin, but what trip would be complete without a few glitches?  Due to a ice storm a few days prior, the section of the parkway that we need to drive on was closed.  Luckily, my trusty husband, who is MUCH better with directions than I, found a different way using a few dirt roads until we could reconnect to the Parkway.  (Things like this are okay without a toddler in the passenger seat!)

We made it to the cabin and couldn't have been more pleased.  The owners greeted us with a warm fire and fresh scones!  The place was beautifully constructed by local craftsmen, with an open floor plan and an upstairs loft.  Cozy but functional. 

That night, we ate a Chateau Morrisette, which is my favorite winery.  We dined by the fire and toasted to our five years of marriage with a 2008 Chardonnay.  Pretty ironic, huh?  And, I was wearing a new diamond necklace.  Thank you again, JD!  LOVE YA! 

It was pretty cold so we didn't get to explore as much as we would have liked,  but we took a quick tour of Mabry Mill. 

Notice the sign?  See my husband?

John was determined to get the frozen wheel moving again.  Not-gonna-happen.

 The streams were redirected to the mill by using these wooden chutes. 

 The inside of our cabin, which was built by local craftsmen. 

 The view from the cabin. 

Stella was the owners dog, but loved to sleep by the fire in the cabin.  Of course we had no objections.  She was very sweet and reminded me of Lucy.  I plotted to steal her by the end of our trip, but was afraid her owners might miss her. 

 My sweet husband made breakfast and Stella supervised.  I sat in front of the fire and drank coffee.  

Family photo!  (Stella was trying to steal kisses from John, hence the awkward hand pose.)

I had to snap a picture of my meal at Chateau Morrisette.  It was almost to pretty to eat!  

Christmas Catch Up...

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and New Year!  It always seems to come and go so quickly! If you by chance are missing Christmas, I still have my tree and decorations still up, and plan on celebrating a few more days.  I believe Audrey will miss the holiday festivities as well, since her morning routine is to run in the living room and demand that the, "pwetty lights" be turned on. So, we will celebrate a few more days a least, or until I find more needles on the carpet than on the actual tree. 

 My inner child can't resist tree full of colorful Christmas lights.

Audrey slept in until 7:30 on Christmas morning!  It was a Christmas miracle!!!  

 Audrey loves her table and chairs!

 Ripping the paper was almost better than the presents inside!

 New "hoohoo" hat and gloves.

 Audrey served Daddy a cup of "hot coffee" after the presents were opened. 

 We went to Gibby and Pops house that afternoon..

 ...and got lots of toys and books!

 The next day, we watched huge snowflakes fall from the sky!

 Pop took Audrey outside for a closer look.

Merry belated Christmas!

Farmer Audrey...

I know that I have been a horrible blogger her lately, but I decided to take a break from it all and have been enjoying the extra time with my family.  So for now, a quick hello and a few pictures that are too funny not to share.  


Audrey received a Little People Princess Castle and farm for Christmas.  She likes to put the "baby dolls" in the back of the tractor instead of the farm animals.  When asked who was driving the tractor, she replied, "Audee dive it." 

And she did...